Alienware Area-51m promises power and upgrades
At what point does it make sense to stop using the term laptop?
Does it apply to the new Alienware Area-51M, a hefty 17-inch system that requires two massive power bricks, and is really more desktop than laptop under its magnesium alloy exoskeleton?
Inside a sharp looking laptop shell, you're gonna find the heart of a gaming desktop.
On one level that means a desktop class CPU but on a deeper level it means bringing to a laptop the one thing that desktop gamers have always had a near monopoly on, serious upgradability.
Most laptops even access to upgrade the RAM and storages- The Area 51 M goes far beyond that with a modular CPU and GPU design that allows you to replace both the processor and the graphics card although you'll have to wait for newer, compatible parts to come along.
The industrial design is forward looking and minimalist enough to avoid the dorm room look of so many gaming PCs, but it also doesn't reinvent the wheel.
The Magnesium alloy body is Almost ceramic feel to it and I love the look of the hex shaped fan vents on the bottom surface.
As any [INAUDIBLE] real follower knows by now the [INAUDIBLE] command center software handles all the customized lighting control as well as some over clocking fan speed and game library options.
One thing to watch out for The system includes two separate massive power supplies.
The smaller one is fine for on the go use if you don't plan to do any gaming, while the larger one frankly does fine for most gaming in our [UNKNOWN] use, but try to even turn the system on with just one power brick plugged in and you'll be sternly warned that performance could suffer.
I usually use both bricks at once and recommended, but man, that's a lot of extra mass either on your desk or underfoot, plus the power cables.
There's gotta be a better way.
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